Westville resident publishes a book for kids with chronic illness
The book is a children's picture book aimed at children that need to take medication on a daily basis.
WESTVILLE resident Karen Cockerill recently launched a children’s book called Flamingo and the River of Stories at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust.
The book is a children’s picture book aimed at children that need to take medication on a daily basis. The story is set out as an allegory bedtime tale which encourages conversations with your children around their struggles.
When the River of Stories is silenced by crocodile weed, Flamingo and the residents of this wondrous place, ‘not so very far from here’, must work together to save it. The solution is simple, but it requires commitment and, ultimately, teamwork.
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Flamingo’s story helps children grasp the complex concepts of why they need to take medicines and listen to their bodies, as well as understanding that they can ask for help and are not alone.
The publisher said that Flamingo and the River of Stories was created to help children celebrate themselves and manage their conditions without being overly clinical or heavily explanatory.
She said this is the first book that she has invested in, self-published and commissioned an author and illustrator to create.
Cockerill said that, in 2018, when she and her late husband adopted their son, they were facing a variety of struggles where support (for a variety of reasons) was lacking.
“Being an avid scholar, she often reverts to books, however, on this occasion, she was rather shocked to discover that there weren’t a lot of resources for the challenges they were facing, and they knew they weren’t the only family facing these challenges.”
In 2020, after not finding any relevant resources, she approached a friend, Melissa Kay, who had already written two children’s picture books, Hide and Seek Hippo and Sam’s Shadow Braves the Night, to help write a book (or series of books).
“At the time, there was this emerging philosophy in the book world that said that authors should only be writing about subjects they have lived and/or experienced. And most of the time, the person ‘in the experience’ is not an author or is not able to find the right words.”
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She said the story in her book helps to enable a conversation with the children around their struggles.
“Although it’s aimed at children taking medication, we have also found that it has helped us navigate cancer and/or difficult emotions that arise.”
The book retails at R200 and can be purchased directly from Hi5 Resources (online store coming), The Hillcrest AIDS Centre (HACT) Trust or The Book Haven.
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